Conventionally, there have been developed various types of teaching systems that display a three-dimensional model image of a robot or a workpiece on a display device based on three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) data or the like and create teaching data using the three-dimensional model image.
Use of such teaching systems enables an operator to create teaching data without actually operating the robot or an external axis independent of the robot.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-247677, for example, discloses a teaching system that creates teaching data off-line relating to positions and postures of a welding robot or a laser emission device held by the welding robot as part of the welding work performed relative to a workpiece such as a vehicle body.
Teaching the robot can, however, be troublesome depending on specific details of processing to be performed even with the above-described teaching system, and the conventional technology has room for further improvement in terms of facilitating teaching.
For example, in a case in which a circular part is cut out from a metal plate, to smooth an outer edge of the part in this case, it is necessary to set a start point for laser emission at a position apart from the circle. It is further necessary to teach the robot a path from the set start point to the circle.
When the path to be taught the robot is complicated, positions and postures of the robot need to be taught for the entire path, which makes the teaching troublesome.